


the mercy to secrets

by Tridraconeus



Category: Paladins: Champions Of The Realm (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, sha lin appears a teensy bit at the beginning, superhero au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-14
Updated: 2017-10-14
Packaged: 2019-01-17 08:16:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12361452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tridraconeus/pseuds/Tridraconeus
Summary: “Mal'Damba?” Ascendant reeled back and released his hold on Mal'Damba's collar. Mal'Damba gasped like the air had been punched out of him; it made sense. Terrible sense, puzzle pieces slotting together and seeding a sick feeling of alarm and fear in his belly. His entire body shook, hands trembling on the ground, breath frantic and shaky.“Jenos?”





	the mercy to secrets

**Author's Note:**

  * For [charbax](https://archiveofourown.org/users/charbax/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Recurve](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/329841) by charbax. 



> inspired by charbax's fic [Recurve!!](http://charbax.tumblr.com/post/165637731853/recurve-1) CHECK IT OUT it's sha lex  
> I wrote this super late last night so don't expect polish, just enthusiasm.  
> small backstory: Jenos and Mal'Damba are both professors at Crosswind's university, and likely work together a lot! This is like figuring out your friend is a criminal. That's exactly what it is actually.

“Ascendant!” The Desert Wind's eyes widened in relieved surprise and Mal'Damba darted out of the way of a tiny bundle of stars. They impacted harmlessly against the wall, but Mal'Damba's attention was won, and the Desert Wind slunk away safely. Mal'Damba was breathing harshly, he noticed; his lungs burned, his throat felt cold and raw. His entire body ached with exertion, and now he had another enemy to content with.

Ascendant caught Mal'Damba around the middle with a crushing grip, the void circling around him and lifting him into the air. Mal'Damba snarled and immediately despised the base reaction; Ascendant took his moment of helplessness to lift them both into the air. Mal'Damba writhed in protest, the grip seemed to be squeezing the life out of him, and he was glad when it ended-- but he was dumped onto a roof, safe from the people below. The police weren't here yet. He still had _time_.

Mal'Damba shot a glob of poison. It was handily dodged, and then it was his turn to duck and weave around stinging projectiles. He didn't want to know what they'd feel like if they _connected_. 

He was, however, supremely unlucky; a bolt of energy caught him in the back and he sprawled forward, managing to slip into a slither and save himself a nasty, embarrassing fall. His retaliation took the form of a glob of poison across Ascendant's path. Where it met the blue glow around him it fizzled, turning it sickly and green, and Mal'Damba took it as a small victory.

His next big mistake was allowing Ascendant to get too close, once again. Ascendant picked him up with a clustered glow of blue energy and threw him across the roof. His elbows caught against the gravel and he gasped out loud in a mixture of indignity and pain, levering himself to his hands and knees and dragging himself up to the air conditioning unit. The man touched down, the glow around him dissipating. The blue behind his mask calmed and dulled until Mal'Damba could only see the whites of the lenses. 

“Stand down, Chosen. Your fight is over.”

“And if you hadn't come to the rescue of that Desert Wind, his fight would have been over. I don't see why you heroes feel obligated to _ruin_ all my plans.”

Bitter, yes, and Mal'Damba's legs shook as he made his way to his feet. Ascendant shook his head. 

“Give up,” he urged, and Mal'Damba barely avoided being hit in the chest. “You can't possibly hold out for much longer.” 

“I'll hold out as long as I need to!” He lunged and let the slick pull of the spirits envelop him, catapulting him forward until he careened into Ascendant and shoved him backward, nearly off the roof. 

Unfortunately, he was not nearly heavy enough to; didn't have the power of the stars on his side, and the spirits could only get his mortal body so far. Possession now, when he was so tired, ran the risk of actually killing him; overloading his body with strain. He did not want that, and neither did the spirits. 

Ascendant yelled aloud and grabbed him by the collar, a glowing and misty blue surrounding them both. Mal'Damba's feet left the ground as Ascendant lofted them both up. For a terrifying moment Mal'Damba thought Ascendant would toss him over the roof; what he did instead was worse. Fixing his eyes on the wall, Ascendant drove them both toward it.

Mal'Damba cried out in pain when his back met the wall, Ascendant's knee bashing against his hip. The impact dislodged his mask and it fell to the ground, straps undone. At least it hadn't broke. But Ascendant kept going and slammed him into the wall again, shocks of galactic energy pulsing through his hands into Mal'Damba's skin. It ached and stung, and by the time Ascendant stopped and got a proper look at his newly unmasked foe Mal'Damba was in no condition to hide his face with his hands.

He should have. 

“Mal'Damba?” Ascendant reeled back and released his hold on Mal'Damba's collar. Mal'Damba gasped like the air had been punched out of him; it made sense. Terrible sense, puzzle pieces slotting together and seeding a sick feeling of alarm and fear in his belly. His entire body shook, hands trembling on the ground, breath frantic and shaky.

“Jenos?” 

Jenos crossed his arms, raising from the ground again. He tried to talk, once, but thought better of it. Awkward silence, panting and groans, ruled until he spoke again; a minute later. Until then, they merely stood and stared at each other. 

“We'll be ruined if this gets out.” 

“I'll be ruined,” Mal'Damba sniped back. He knelt and picked his mask from the ground, checking to see if the straps were broken. He was still shaking. He forced himself to be calm. “You'll be lauded as a hero.” 

Jenos hummed in consideration. “Then let's just agree to keep it a secret.” 

Mal'Damba reluctantly recognized it for the mercy-- or blackmail, but Jenos didn't seem the type-- it was, and sighed as he fastened his mask back on.  “Fine. It's a secret.” 

Jenos descended the building, leaving Mal'Damba to lick his wounds and find his own way down.

**Author's Note:**

> if you liked it, please leave a kudos or comment!


End file.
